Monday, August 17, 2015

KCRW's THE SPIN-OFF: Press Tour Roundup, and Is There Really Too Much TV? (LISTEN NOW!)

The TCA press tour used to look a lot different, with the broadcast networks spending three days each promoting virtually everything on their schedules. But as the broadcast networks pull back, the number of networks have grown, and especially as more digital players have gotten into the game, the schedule has ballooned to accommodate everyone. We do our best to break it all down and give you the most pertinent points from this year's gathering.

Remember the good ol' days of 2013? That's when a little show called House of Cards premiered on Netflix.

And now, just two years later, Netflix is looking at 36 original shows. Netflix was actually one of the first presentations at TCA this year, and Ted Sarandos -- a name not very many people knew not very long ago -- emphasized just how much the company is in it to win it. They've got A-list talent and production budgets to make buzz-worthy and critically acclaimed shows.

Other digital outlets like Hulu and Amazon made presentations as well, and everyone is stepping up their original content game.

If it seems like there's officially "too much TV," you're not alone in your thinking. During FX's day on the stage, John Landgraf, the head of the network, gave a talk that resonated with a lot of people. He pointed out the the current TV glut is not sustainable. In the future there has to be some kind of slowing in the rate of increase of new shows.